The aim of this paper is to show whether the current system of environmental taxation and environmental policies of the states is efficient for solving environmental problems. We analyze the link ...between environmental tax revenues and total government expenditure as independent variables and government expenditures for environmental protection as dependent variable in selected EU countries. By the implementation of panel data regression analysis on a defined sample, we came to the conclusion that among the observed variables there is a positive relationship. However, this relationship shows that the growth of expenditures for environmental protection is slower than the growth of total expenditure. The results also suggest that the relationship between revenues from environmental taxes and expenditures of the state in the area of environmental protection is a little weaker. With respect to the result of analysis, it can be concluded that the existing state policy in is not sufficiently effective.
BACKGROUND Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common of head and neck malignancies in well-developed countries. In most cases, patients with OSCC experience a degree of nutritional ...status disturbances and decreased quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to compare nutritional status and QoL in 51 patients before and after surgery for OSCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-one eligible patients with OSCC were followed during a 3-year period (2019-2022). For all patients, we determined body mass index (BMI), serum albumin (ALB), prognostic nutritional index, and nutritional risk index before and after treatment. Also, all patients completed a standardized QoL questionnaire before and after treatment. The obtained data were compared between the groups by using the t test and multivariate Cox regression. RESULTS The values of BMI and NRI were statistically significantly different between the preoperative and postoperative measurements (24.1 kg/m² vs 21.1 kg/m², and 103 vs 100.1, respectively, P=0.001), while values of ALB and prognostic nutritional index did not differ significantly (41.35 g/L vs 39.1 g/L, and 48.5 vs 46.2, respectively). Dysphagia (P=0.03) and chewing problems (P=0.04) were found to be the 2 most important factors decreasing the QoL of patients. CONCLUSIONS Based on our results, BMI and NRI were the most sensitive parameters of nutritional status. Dysphagia and chewing problems were the 2 most important factors affecting the QoL in patients with OSCC.
Introduction: Carcinoma of the stratified squamous epithelium of the oral cavity - oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an invasive pathological lesion of the epithelium with varying degrees of ...squamous differentiation. It is characterized by early and extensive metastases, infiltration of adjacent anatomical structures, frequent recurrences, and a relatively low five-year survival rate of less than 50%. The aim of the study to determine the correlation between the analysis of the lymphocytic infiltrate of biopsy specimens with pathohistologically proven metastases of oral squamous cellular carcinoma on postoperative neck dissection specimens. Material and methods: The study included 42 patients with pathohistologically verified oral squamous cellular carcinoma who underwent surgery at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery of the Clinic of Dental medicine in Niš in the period from 2018 to 2022. The histopathological analysis included the depth of tumor invasion, histopathological analysis of the lymph nodes of neck dissections, analysis of lymphocytic infiltration, and presence of lymphovascularand perineural invasion. Results: It was determined that the depth of invasion is statistically significantly different regarding the degree of lymphocytic infiltration (p=0.004). Invasion of over 4mm was present in 20% of patients with high infiltration, 44.4% of patients with medium infiltration, and 85.7% of patients with low infiltration. Conclusion: Given that the results of the study indicate that the analysis of the lymphocytic infiltrate can be a reliable predictive factor of the appearance of metastases in the lymph nodes of the neck, further research should be directed toward as sociating lymphocytic infiltration with certain biochemical and genetic parameters based on which a plan can be created for neck treatment in the N0 stage of oral squamous cellular carcinoma.
In modern conditions, human society is faced with numerous environmental problems, which call for necessary action in order to ensure sustainable development. In other words, solutions to ...environmental problems are urgently needed if we wish for future generations to have the same quantity and quality of resources that the current generations possess. Countries around the world, and especially EU member states, place a strong focus on environmental issues, and as one of the basic instruments in resolving them, they use environmental taxes. These taxes are intended to make polluters lower their pollution levels in order to reduce their tax burden. Among other things, they encourage polluters to invest in ecological innovations, all with the aim of reducing the tax burden and increasing the quality of the environment in the future. The aim of this paper is to establish how strong the influence of environmental taxation is on the development of ecological innovations. For this reason, correlation and regression analysis were used on a sample of EU member states. The obtained results show that the influence of these phenomena, i.e., variables, is positive and strong and that with the growth of income from environmental taxes per capita by 1%, the index of ecological innovations increases by 0.663 with a significance level of p=0.000.
The digitization of the banking sector is not a novelty. It has been occurring much faster compared to many other business sectors. Consequently, banks have also accepted digital advertising channels ...for their services offered to users. Their goal was undoubtedly to keep pace with the times, enhance user experience, and increase their revenue. Loans, as the most significant banking service, have not remained immune to the process of digitization. Nowadays, banks offer loans through their mobile applications, electronic banking, websites, social networks, as well as through paid advertising and marketing collaborations. The aim of this study is to analyze the efficiency of digital communication channels in offering banking loans through the application of empirical analysis. To achieve this, a survey was conducted in the Nišava District, followed by data processing using the SPSS software package. The obtained results indicate that loan advertising through digital platforms has a greater impact on women in the Nišava District. Additionally, factors such as education level, monthly income, and security significantly influence the visibility of ads, opening rates, and communication with banks via digital channels, as perceived by users.
This article deals with the under-researched phenomenon of rural health entrepreneurship and its major characteristics. The purpose of this study is to explicate the process of providing health ...services in rural areas of a developing country and their relation to SDGs. The paper is based on six semi-structured interviews conducted with Serbian health entrepreneurs in rural areas (two private practices, two policlinics, and two dental practices), a review of laws and strategies relevant to the field, and three sessions of discussions with eight experts (four authors and four additional experts). The research methodology follows an empirical, mixed-method case study research procedure. The results are presented in relation to the aspects of frugality, family orientation, and sustainability-oriented innovation. The timeline of the six case studies demonstrates the increasing importance of health entrepreneurs in rural areas due to the aging population and, therefore, increased needs for quality healthcare in these areas. The financing instruments have also become more formal and substantial in recent years, enabling the growth of healthcare businesses in rural areas. However, a major obstacle to further sustainable development remains the non-refundability of services before the state-owned, obligatory health fund, creating major social inequalities, especially in rural areas.
The dominant technology in hard rock mining is drilling and blasting; therefore, the importance of fragment size estimation is an essential problem in the mining industry. By using a theoretical ...foundation that explains rock-fracturing mechanisms by blasting, a 3D fragmentation model with general applicability was developed. The main capabilities of the model are the ability to consider different and complex blasting patterns, both with parallel and non-parallel boreholes, and different explosive and rock properties. The geological input of the model is defined by generating the primary blocks within rock mass using discrete fracture networks. The model handles different, complex geological setups and blasting scenarios that include bench, ring, and tunneling blasting. Also, it considers borehole deviation, misfires, and the influence of previous blasts. Full-scale ring blasts were carried out to validate the model against real-world data, and the results showed a high level of agreement between model predictions and in situ data. In situ data were collected using image processing methodology and WipFrag v4 software. X50 and X80 size values showed a maximum error in prediction of around 15%, while R2 values between fragmentation curves were approximately 90% without a detailed model calibration to the obtained data.
The activity concentration of natural radionuclides in the samples of soil from the town of Niš were measured using the gamma spectroscopy system. The average activities of
226
Ra,
232
Th and
40
K ...are: 19, 30 and 409 Bq/kg, respectively. The average outdoor absorbed dose rate due to the gamma radiation from the soil is 41 nGy/h, while the corresponding annual effective dose is 0.05 mSv. The measurements of indoor radon concentrations were also done in this study. As an average
222
Rn concentration, 61 Bq/m
3
was determined, with the corresponding annual effective dose of 2.87 mSv.
In contemporary turbulent environment, which is subject to frequent changes due to the influence of internal and external factors, managers must be expert and informed, and they must also act ...quickly. If trends are not accepted and followed, there is no survival on the market, which is true in all branches of business, and especially in the trade sector. Marketing managers must constantly monitor what is happening on the market, what innovations can affect their business, what the competition is doing, as well as what customers expect from them in order to best satisfy their wishes and needs, and ensure their loyalty. Digital technologies must certainly be adopted as a basis for doing business since not only do they offer the possibility of selling products online, but they also allow managers to obtain important information on their customers. Data on where customers interact, which social networks they use, how they think, as well as what their wishes and habits are, can make the process of making important decisions much easier for marketing managers of trading companies. For the purpose of this paper, empirical research was conducted through a survey on a sample of 112 managers of trading companies in Serbia in the period October-November 2022. The purpose of the research in this paper is to analyze how digitalization has influenced the change in managing B2B marketing of trading companies. The importance of determining this influence is reflected in the possibility of giving recommendations to managers of trading companies that have not yet joined the digital transformation of business to do so since today customers are mostly present on the Internet, which will be even more noticeable in the future as newer generations mature.
The use of underground ring drilling and blasting holes is common, given their compatibility with various mining methods and use in the construction of underground structures like the ore draw bells. ...Working conditions and rock properties can vary significantly, making it essential to monitor and analyze the blasting results. If necessary, the adjustments and optimizations should be made to the drilling and blasting patterns based on the properties of the used explosives. The aim of this paper is to develop a stopping mining method model using the blastholes, as well as a unique drilling and blasting pattern for excavation the initial slot in the Datamine Aegis. The objective was to compare several types of explosives with different properties in this context, predict the blast outcomes in terms of break radius, and highlight the significance of all explosive parameters in selecting and optimizing a drill and blast ring pattern.
